Who's in this District?

U.S. Congressional District 27 includes the following counties:

VictoriaLavacaJacksonWhartonMatagordaCalhounRefugioAransasNuecesCaldwellparts of Bastrop, Gonzales and San Patricio

Editor's Note: The Republican and Democratic primaries will be May 29. The Advocate is profiling candidate in the contested races in the two primaries. Saturday's profile features candidates for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Congress District 27. The winner will face the winner of the Republican party primary in November.

May's Democratic primaries will bring four candidates vying to win the seat for Texas Congressional District 27.

Corpus Christi resident Rose Meza Harrison said she hopes to give constituents a candidate who will put the people first.

"It's time we have a representative who focuses on what is important to the people of Texas, like education, jobs, affordable health care and family," she said in a news release.

On her website, Harrison said she hopes to invest more in education and less on wars, and said she will defend both Social Security and Medicare.

Women's health is another key issue she included on her site.

"I want to stop the attack on women by the Republican male-dominated party who are infringing on women's rights and privacy and interfering with their fundamental right to health care," the site said. "I trust women to make their own decisions about their bodies."

The Benavides native works as an assistant county attorney for the Nueces County Attorney's Office.

If elected, Harrison would be the first Hispanic to represent Texas in Congress, according to the release, and the first woman to represent District 27.

Former Bastrop County Judge Ronnie McDonald said serving District 27 would be a chance to bring people together, rather than point fingers as often happens in politics.

He noted transportation and infrastructure among the region's top issues, explaining he wants to make sure the region has what it needs to stay vibrant in today's economy.

"A lot we deal with includes infrastructure, making sure we can export our resources," he said.

McDonald said his goal is to maintain open communication with constituents so they feel more connected to the government and know their voices are being heard.

The Bastrop resident noted experience balancing budgets, working with the public and handling difficult situations, such as Bastrop's 2011 wildfires, among his qualifications for the job.

"When we came together, it was not a point of Republican or Democrat, rich or poor," he said of the blazes. "All the barriers were erased and we came together of one accord. That's the same thing that needs to happen every day, not just in crisis."

Corpus Christi resident Jerry J. Trevino said he hopes to pass along the Texas values he learned form his parents if elected to serve Texas Congressional District 27.

"For far too long, gridlock has paralyzed Washington," he said on his website. "I'm running for Congress because we all share these same core values: family, education, hard work and determination."

The businessman and attorney, on his website, listed many key issues affecting the region. Among those were investments in infrastructure to create quality jobs, funding for technology to enhance natural resources and generate business and affordable and accessible health care.

Priority job placement for veterans and the need for reasonable environmental safeguards that wouldn't eliminate jobs also joined the list.

"It's time to elect someone who will work for the values that work for Texas," he said on the site.

Attempts to contact Murphy Alade Junaid, a candidate from Corpus Christi, were unsuccessful.